Chapter 7: Joe

Joe wasted no time crossing the porch. As he reached the truck, he flung the door open, threw his things inside and jumped into the seat. When he started the engine, he stepped on the gas pedal, revving the motor. He looked back to the house and with one motion slammed the truck into gear and stomped on the gas. The wheels of the truck dug into the gravel drive, sending rocks in all directions. Joe flung the truck around and accelerated down the lane. He could see the blacktop at the end of the lane approaching quickly. He looked down the road to the left and, just past the fence that lined the farm, he could see headlights in the distance.

Joe didn't attempt to slow down. He only pushed harder on the accelerator, almost daring the car in the distance to beat him to the intersection. Only feet from the blacktop, Joe jerked the wheel to the left, using the gravel of the drive to slide the truck out onto the road. The tires screeched as they grabbed the pavement. The car that had been approaching was now only yards away. The driver quickly swerved the vehicle out of the way, almost going into the ditch. Joe glanced at the car, seeing only the silhouette of a person sitting in the driver's seat as he flew by in a blur. He continued to speed away, only looking in the mirror as he put more distance between them.

When he looked back again, he saw the taillights of the car go off as the driver pulled back onto the road. He shook his head as he began to feel foolish for nearly causing the accident. He flew through the country roads, pushing his truck as fast as it would go. As he drove, anger continued to fill his mind. He felt his father didn't know when to leave well enough alone. He squeezed the steering wheel tighter, as if he could pull it from its mounting, and yelled out, "Just leave it alone, old man!"

As he heard his own words come out of his mouth, he realized how tightly he was holding the wheel. He released his grip, letting the blood flow back into his fingers.

Joe took a deep breath and eased off the gas pedal, allowing the truck to coast. He stared down the road, watching as the miles of fence flew by. He tapped the steering wheel with his palm and looked over to the folder on the seat. Pictures had fallen from inside and now covered the seat and floorboard. He shook his head in frustration. He wasn't sure what else the day had in store for him, but he was sure it couldn't get any worse.

He sighed heavily as he urged the tension from his body. He knew if he didn't steer his thoughts away from the argument that the rest of his day would be no better. He tried to let his mind drift to thoughts of work and then, for some reason, his mind slipped back to the hillside that morning. As he warded off thoughts of the argument, his mind went to Elizabeth. Joe rested his shoulder on the door of the truck. He wasn't sure why he had thought of her that morning, but as he drove, he couldn't help but take comfort as he remembered her and the times they'd shared. Joe watched the road ahead and as the miles slipped by, it almost hypnotized him. He tapped the wheel again and then began to remember the first time he saw her.

It was early spring. The air was still a little chilly, but the cool air never kept Joe inside. His father was always after him to work around the farm, but Joe found ways to escape, if only for a little while.

One of his favorite places to go was to the long row of oaks that lined the edge of the farm separating it from the neighbor's property. He would rush across the dew-covered fields of the morning, passing the grazing cattle, to where he could climb in the trees and watch the world go by. He often stayed in the trees as long as he could, only coming down from his hiding spot when he grew too hungry or when he knew his mother might worry.

On that particular morning, Joe had made his way to the tree line and scurried up one of the largest of the oaks, as it provided the best branches to climb on. He lay there on his back, staring up into the morning sky watching as the small white clouds that dotted the skies hurried by. In the distance, he could hear the occasional call of one of the mother cows to her young calf.

Joe lay there listening to the farm wake up around him, but it was also at that moment that the morning calm was disturbed by the sound of an approaching car. Joe looked over to the road in the distance and, to his surprise, the car turned off the road and pulled down the lane that ran the length of the fence line. He rolled over onto his stomach, hiding among the leaves. The car pulled down the lane and stopped just before the drive veered away from the fencerow toward the house.

He watched intently as the doors opened and a man and a woman who looked to be about his parents' age got out. They surveyed their surroundings, looking back to the tall stand of trees in the fencerow where Joe now hid and then back toward the house. Joe peered through the leaves, only able to catch glimpses of them as they walked across the yard toward the house.

While Joe lay there, he noticed movement out of the corner of his eye by the car. As he looked away from the couple, he was surprised to see a beautiful young girl step out near the fender of the car. She looked to be about his age, maybe ten or eleven. He edged out farther on the narrowing branch, moving the leaves in front of him to the side. As Joe finally caught a clear glimpse of her, he was startled as he heard the horn from his father's truck in the distance.

Joe was sure his father had discovered his empty bed and was calling him home to help around the farm. The blare of the horn caused him to look over his shoulder, and as he did, he lost his grip on the branch and slipped from his perch among the leaves, falling to the ground below. He must have fallen close to ten feet, and when he hit the ground it pushed all the air from his lungs.

Elizabeth had seen him fall and ran from the car toward him. She peered over to where he now lay. Joe coughed, as the spasm that gripped his lungs made it hard to breathe. He had hoped that the tall grass he had fallen into had concealed him, but as he tried to regain his breath, he found her looking right at him. Pain and embarrassment raced through him; he wasn't sure whether to continue to lie there or get up and run.

As he fully regained his breath and worked up the nerve to bolt from grass, he heard her father call her. "Elizabeth," she turned and looked to her parents, then back to Joe. She didn't answer them, but a smile came to her face when she looked back at him. She raised her hand at her side and waved. Joe looked to her eyes, seeing the piercing blue that to this day made his heart skip a beat.

It was safe to say that at that moment Joe was hopelessly and helplessly in love. He took a deep breath and watched as she turned to go to her parents.

As Joe pulled himself from the memory, he was overtaken by emotion once again. Feelings that he had known long ago filled his thoughts. Joe had thought that the man he used to be had been left someplace on one of those islands in the Pacific, but at that moment, he seemed to feel again.